popcorn and Julie in wonderland!

Sunday night,
Went to see Alice in wonderland and ate popcorn and a few fruit chocks :)
when I got home I got on the treadmill!
First week of 12WBT has been great. I like being able to think about it, it makes a nice distraction from work worries.

this week I did FIVE hours of cardio exercise, and lots of weights. Thats more than Ive done in the last year!
I love polar personal trainer, https://www.polarpersonaltrainer.com/index.ftl I can link my watch to it and it downloads my workout with lots of groovy graphs.
I would love to print them out and show Mish :)

Talking of Mish and her team, how will I ever thank them.

stress buster,

Well its Thursday morning and Ive been doing 12WBT for 4 days now. Doesn't sound much but diets, exercise and I have never had long relationships in the past.
So far Ive eaten right and done a 40/50 minute cardio session on the bike every night. Ive also started Pilate's and bought some free weights.
Big difference so far is that although I work four jobs (started a new one Monday) I seem to have no stress! it is amazing to me that adding something to my super busy schedule has actually improved my work life balance.
so the motivation to continue in no particular order is ,

1. the need to exercise for stress busting (this one surprised me!)
2. winning or giving it a bloody good go!
3. avoiding lifestyle diseases
4. being able to have a holiday and not just watching other people have fun!
5. looking at where I was last year (see copy of forum post below)

This time last year I had weeks and weeks of spending my days flat on my back in awful pain due to a bulged disk. It happened I think because I had a hysterectomy the year before and my Oncologist had to cut through my core muscles to remove my uterus as it weighed almost 700gms! (no ca thank god!)My disk was so bulged that I was unable to sit without pain for months. I also had a limp until recently from the nerve damage :( I comfort ate and stacked on a ton of weight and lost trust in my body not to let me down. I think I let myself be old before my time. I remember looking at the MRI images seeing the huge disk bulge, my poor muscle development and the mountains of fat around my body. I decided not to have surgery and slowly got back on track with physio and gentle exercise.

I am proud of myself for accepting this exercise challenge.

I can now see a future of being able to enjoy my life in a healthy fit body:)

Day 1! all I can say is, FANTASTIC :) went for a 10k bike ride with my super hubby. Found a new home for my unused heart rate watch on the forums and spent a rewarding hour reading posts from the 12WBT website.

One of my goals is to meet new people through the 12wbt :) I'm starting to connect with other team members online. people are being open and honest about their goals and challenges, I can so see my self in them:)

I'm also really proud of my "Confess your sins and get back on track support post" there are some amazing stories all similar. They make me laugh, shake my head and sometimes cringe to read them.

I'm hoping it will become a team support hub :) I sooo don't want anyone to drop out due to isolation or the lack of a kind encouraging word :) Hello! Midwife here LOL

12WBTEVE :)

Twas the night before 12WBT and all through the house
the junk food once hoarded wouldn't feed a mouse.
The exercise equipment was uncovered with care
in hope that my body soon would be there.

I have given my diary the once over and realised that there is no way I'm going to be able to drive half an hour to the local gym, work out and get home ect so I converted my membership to passes, that way I can just go when I have time.

I have also bought an amazing Polar watch though http://www.sportstek.net/polar-ft80.htm
It is awesome and easy to use!!!! I am the type of person who usually gets my son or hubby to change the time on watches but this one has lots of features and there all self explanatory! It cost less than a 12mth membership to the gym and I can use it anywhere.

My husband bought a bike today as a show of solidarity! we've been together a quarter of a century and we go from strength to strength. I am very blessed :)

I also got him to take my before photo in a bikini that I haven't worn since 1983! Its lived at the back of my undies draw and hasn't seen the light of day for all those years :)

I have mixed feelings about my before photo, I am thankful that I am whole and are relatively healthy but shocked at how overweight and out of shape I am. Holding the magazine was a big motivator as I associate it with before and AFTER photos. I have a fantasy of holding one up in 12 weeks with me flexing my muscles :)

Now that Ive printed out the program, recipes and exercises I can see how and why it works.
I will engage with it and it will lead me to a healthier and fitter tomorrow.

Ive decided not to publish my before photo as I'm planning a big reveal :)

Wishing all my fellow 12WBTers the power to MAKE THEIR OWN LUCK :) xxxx

buying clothes for the dreaded [[[BEFORE}}} photo!

So, I'm at the shops, running my eye across the size tag on the hanger looking for a size 20! 12,14,16, fail, next rack, 12,14,16, fail ect... where are the size twenties? Ill settle for a tight 18 but nothing in my size, again! so over to the guys section, S,M,L,XL, XXL! how embarrassing! how did I get like this?
Any how, Ive got bike shorts and a black tee, tight fitting so no bump or bulge will go undiscovered! eeek!
Friday is photo day, a big step for all the 12WBTers I'm sure. One for the website and a few more for here.
Do I hold the news paper up to show the day of reckoning? not sure, might look at the headline first, don't want "new continent discovered" or "circus in town", would like "scientific proof that floppy skin knows its way home" or "no evidence that fat fills out wrinkles" .

Friday is also measure day as Ive joined the local gym FOR A YEAR and this time I SWEAR I'm going to lose more than just my money!
(on that note, Ive done Sure slim, Jenny Craig, Weight watchers, joined curves, tried shakes, diet pills, fasting ect, ect, the list goes on, sound familiar?)

Why will this work you ask? well I'm asking my self that also. the plan is, one day at a time, use the 12WBT forums and the website and be open and honest about what I'm trying to achieve, (there go my knees knocking again) In truth, I'm terrified!

Also my best excuse, "I'm too busy" was shot to pieces by Mish when she pointed out that Mr Howard as PM still found time to walk for an hour every day, bummer, Ive been using that for some time now and got rather attached to it:(
So, on to commitment and not taking my self to seriously :)

MY12WBT

Hi all, in a few days I start the http://www.12wbt.com/ 12 week body transformation!
It looks like it will be a huge challenge and life style change!
SO, why do I want to blog about this?

• to keep me motivated
• be open about my excuses
• have a record of my success
• publicly commit to doing this

why the 12 WBT

• Its Australian
• Mish and her team are inspirational
• price is great
• perfect timing

Who am I

My name is Julie, I am a wife, mother and a midwife so I have lots to enjoy about life.

I have a healthy body that I've been taking for granted.

I've just become a grandmother at 43 (home birthed my grandchild as their midwife:)

all my rellies seem to be getting type 2 diabetes!

I'm going on a Holiday to America this year and I don't want to overflow the seat on the plane!

I want to buy clothes that I like not just the ones that fit me!

challenges

• I eat small amounts of highly calorific foods
• I don't exercise
• I'm super busy working 4 jobs!

WISH ME LUCK :)